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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24587881">Boxes Of Memories</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fairheads/pseuds/Fairheads'>Fairheads</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liz_87/pseuds/Liz_87'>Liz_87</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Casualty (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 06:07:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,982</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24587881</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fairheads/pseuds/Fairheads, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liz_87/pseuds/Liz_87</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Charlie and Duffy decide its about time they tackled tidying their spare room. Series 31.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lisa "Duffy" Duffin/Charlie Fairhead</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Boxes Of Memories</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Charlie and Duffy lay in bed, it was their day off and they were basking in the afterglow of their morning love making. </p><p>“So Mrs, now that you’ve worn me out... What shall we do today?” Charlie chuckled. </p><p>"Well you promised me that we'd clear out the spare room on our next day off together."</p><p>“Did I?”</p><p>"You did. I've performed my part of the agreement, now it's your turn!"</p><p>“But... There's so much stuff in there! Wouldn’t you rather just stay here instead?” Charlie suggested with a grin. </p><p>"Well you never know what we might find in there. Some of that stuff looks like it goes back decades!"</p><p>“Maybe they’ll be some treasure...” Charlie laughed. </p><p>"From your secret past as a pirate?" She giggled.</p><p>“Shiver my timbers! Don’t you go all heave ho-ing with my booty missus!”</p><p>"I'll heave ho you in a minute if you don't get out of bed!" She laughed as she sat up and retrieved her nighty from the floor next to the bed.</p><p>“That sounds fun! Okay, okay... but can we have regular breaks?”</p><p>Standing up she slipped the nighty back on. "What exactly did you have in mind for these breaks?" She asked as she turned around, her hand resting on her hip.</p><p>His eyes couldn’t help but wander over all of her curves. He stepped towards her, putting his arms around her waist. “I’m sure we can think of something... Don’t you?” He winked.</p><p>She shook her head fondly. "You have a one track mind!"</p><p>“I know... but it’s not my fault... you have that effect on me!”</p><p>"Still? I'd have thought you'd be bored of me by now." She chuckled.</p><p>He smiled, even after all this time, she still didn’t quite believe that anyone would find her desirable in that way. It was her own personal battle, but he tried his best to reassure her. “Never! You’re too damn sexy for me to ever get bored!”</p><p>She blushed as she stepped out of his embrace. Moving over to the dresser she threw a pair of boxers and a tshirt at him.</p><p>He looked at her, as she avoided his gaze, but decided to leave it. Pulling on the clothes she had thrown, he walked towards the door. “Come on then, let’s get cracking!”</p><p>Entering the spare room Duffy bit her lip as she gazed at the stacks of boxes contained within it. Maybe Charlie had a point, this was going to take them forever!</p><p>Charlie didn’t know where to begin, but knelt down next to the box nearest the door. Their combined stuff from different houses had lead to this collection of boxes.</p><p>Duffy walked across the room and picked up a box from another pile. "Might as well divide and attempt to conquer." She explained.</p><p>While she busied herself, over the other side of the room he opened his box. Inside, he found a stack of notebooks. Definitely not his, he flicked through some of the pages and recognised her writing. “These must be yours Duf." </p><p>She looked up briefly before doing a double take as she realised what box he had in his hands. Shit! Why had she left that so near the door? She quickly got to her feet. "Um, yes. I'll just take those." She stuttered, reaching out for the box.</p><p>Surprised by her sudden reaction, he was now intrigued. He hadn’t had long enough to read any of the writing. “Old diaries?”</p><p>"Just the silly ramblings of a foolish young girl." She replied dismissively.</p><p>“Oh yeah? Do I feature?” He teased, although by her face, he wasn’t sure if he had pushed his luck.</p><p>"Wouldn't you just love that!"</p><p>He looked up at her, a little taken aback, she avoided his gaze - he seemed to have hit a nerve. Sitting down, he opened a different box, this time he pulled out some things from his own childhood. He turned over a well- loved teddy bear in his hands.</p><p>"He looks like he's seen some adventures." She remarked from across the room.</p><p>“Hasn’t he just! I don’t think I can get rid of him...”</p><p>She held up a threadbare pink rabbit. "Its ok, I won't tell if you don't!" She giggled.</p><p>“They can be friends!” He laughed, positioning them together on the carpet.</p><p>"So long as they're not the kind of friends we were!"</p><p>He laughed. “You hear that rabbit, no funny business!”</p><p>"I think you'll find that Miss Rabbit is a well behaved innocent girl!"</p><p>“Yeah... right!” He rolled his eyes. Reaching for another box, he found loads of crockery. “I’ll take this downstairs, if we don’t need it, it can probably go to charity.”</p><p>"Maybe we can claim its vintage and make some money from it?"</p><p>“Maybe!” When he returned, Duffy was looking pensively at something she had found. She sighed and placed the items back in the box, not realising she was being watched.</p><p>“You okay?” he asked softly.</p><p>She sighed and reached back into the box. She held the items up towards him. "Wedding photos." She sighed.</p><p>Knowing that she wasn’t referring to their wedding as the album was sitting on the shelf in the living room, he knelt behind her and put his hands on her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.</p><p>"I'm surprised by how happy I look. I clearly didn't realise what a huge mistake I was making."</p><p>“We got there in the end though hey...” He smiled, reaching for her hand and squeezing it.</p><p>"I don't really know what to do with them. Do you still have yours?"</p><p>He shook his head. “Baz... I imagine they were chucked out a long time ago. But you can keep yours if you want? We can box some of this stuff and put it in the loft.”</p><p>"I feel like I should keep them for the boys but..." She shrugged.</p><p>“Let’s keep them, I’ll pop them in the loft,” He smiled reassuringly at her.</p><p>"You're OK with that?"</p><p>“Of course love, it’s okay,”</p><p>"I know you two never really got along. Not really."</p><p>“Maybe not, but I had my reasons...”</p><p>"I wonder what those could have been..." She smiled. "Is it true what Josh told me?"</p><p>"None of them treated you like they should have done Duffy... What did Josh tell you?”</p><p>"That you threatened to break Ryan's legs."</p><p>Charlie’s face flushed red. “I... I may have said that, I was just trying to protect you.”</p><p>"I'll let you in on a little secret... I entertained the idea of giving Baz a good hard slap on several occasions."</p><p>“What are we like!? I think you’d have won...” He mumbled. </p><p>"You think?" She laughed. "She seemed like the type to have a mean right hook."</p><p>He smirked, knowing she was right. “But if it mattered to you enough...”</p><p>"That smirk better not be from you imagining that particular scenario!" She tried to keep the smile from her face.</p><p>He laughed, she knew him so well. “That obvious? You got me!”</p><p>"I suppose its good to know you would've backed me."</p><p>Charlie smiled at her as she passed him the box ready for the loft. They had managed to clear quite a bit already. “We’re getting there!”</p><p>Duffy handed him another box. "You can put this in the loft too. It's some of my mother's things, I'll sort them another day."</p><p>“Okay, I’ll take them up now.” He knew that that job would take a lot more emotional energy than Duffy had left today. “Is it time for a break now?” He shouted from the step ladders.</p><p>"I suppose. I'll make us a cup of coffee." She called up to him. She turned to leave the room but her attention was drawn back to her old notebooks. She was so engrossed in them that she didn't hear Charlie re-enter the room and come to stand behind her, peering over her shoulder.</p><p>He noticed his name a few times on the page and was intrigued. He hadn’t realised she’d kept a diary. “When did you write these?” He asked, making her jump.</p><p>"It started as a... um... way of tracking all the new skills I was learning..."</p><p>“Oh yeah? Nursing skills?”</p><p>"Yeh, so I'd have a list to show at interviews."</p><p>“And then?”</p><p>"And then I ended up not leaving the department." She joked, clearly misunderstanding his question on purpose.</p><p>“Read me a bit,” He said, settling down onto a cushion he found in the corner.</p><p>"Really?"</p><p>“Yup, I’m all ears!” He joked.</p><p>"Its really not that interesting..." She could tell by his face that he wasn't gunna let this go. "Most of the procedures are so outdated now."</p><p>Charlie wanted to know why his name had appeared multiple times on one page if it was all procedures. He didn’t want to push her too much but tried one last time. “I’m interested, the inner workings of the mind of younger Duffy...”</p><p>She flicked forward a few pages and held the book out to him. "Fine, try not to fall asleep..!"</p><p>He took the book from her. The page she had opened was a list of medical procedures that she had performed that day. Flicking backwards a few pages he found a page with heart doodles and some writing about a party they had both been at.</p><p>"Like I said - the silly ramblings of a foolish young girl."</p><p>Charlie lifted the book up to read aloud... “When I’m around him, I get butterflies. Last night, we spent the whole night talking in the kitchen at this party, he makes me feel so relaxed and yet equally excited. Small problem is he’ll never go for me, I’m too young and he’s my boss but I can’t stop thinking about him.” Charlie looked up. “I didn’t know you felt like that...”</p><p>"Maybe I should have insisted you get your eyes tested sooner if that's the case!"</p><p>“Okay, maybe a little! Well, I think it’s lovely and you should keep them."</p><p>"I intend to." She blushed a deeper shade of red. "That's not even the worst of it."</p><p>“Oh yeah..? Did you write about when we first slept together in there? Where’s that?” He laughed, flicking through the pages!</p><p>"That's not in that book!" She reached into the box and pulled out a book with a lock on the side.</p><p>His eyes widened, he had only been joking. “Well, I hope it says how earth-shattering it was!”</p><p>"I can't remember what I wrote and I think I've lost the key." She laughed.</p><p>“Perhaps it’ll turn up in the rest of this.” He pointed to the remaining stuff.</p><p>"Either that or I'm sure you'll take a pair of bolt cutters to the lock!" She giggled.</p><p>“You know me so well,” Charlie laughed, reaching for her waist and pulling her towards him.</p><p>"You're getting distracted..." She chided.</p><p>He nodded, staring directly into her green eyes, the tension between them electric, even after all this time.</p><p>"Once all the boxes are sorted you can have all the fun you like." She promised with a cheeky smile.</p><p>“But there are sooo many boxes,” He moaned “And you did say we could have regular breaks...” He ran his hand up her back as he reached down to kiss the side of her neck.</p><p>"I know I did but I really don't want to spend all day in here."</p><p>Charlie realised his usual powers of persuasion were not working. He stuck out his bottom lip, pretending to be sad before turning towards another box.</p><p>"You really think I'm gunna fall for that face after all these years?" She smirked as she also grabbed another box.</p><p>“I hoped you might anyway.” He smiled at her. Turning back to the box, he struggled to open the lid, the thick parcel tape making it impossible to open with his hands.</p><p>"Want me to fetch the scissors?" She suggested.</p><p>“No worries, I’ll get them. What's in here?”</p><p>"I don't know. Is it one of my boxes?"</p><p>“I imagine so.” He laughed. When he returned with the scissors, he found her kneeling next to a box, looking puzzled.</p><p>"What are these? They're not mine."</p><p>Looking at what she was holding in her hands, he felt his face flush red.</p><p>"Well..?" She pressed.</p><p>“Are you sure they aren’t yours? I...” He looked flustered.</p><p>"I'm sure I'd know if they were." She asserted, a small grin pulling at her lips as she watched his discomfort grow.</p><p>“Duffy, I honestly don’t know what, who, where.” He stuttered, uncomfortable.</p><p>"Well there's been so many over the years I guess it's not surprising that one of them accidentally left something behind." She laughed.</p><p>“Hey! There wasn’t that many... I just don’t understand where they’re from...” He was still puzzled.</p><p>"There were enough for me to lose count..."</p><p>He wrapped his arms around her and whispered into her ear,  “But only one you, Duffy.”</p><p>"Charmer." She chuckled.</p><p>“I mean it,” he kissed her ear.</p><p>She dropped the item in the bag to be binned. "At least they appear to be clean. Well I really hope they are." She pulled a face.</p><p>Charlie pulled the same face back, attempting a smile at her, but she was on a mission.</p><p>"Anything else like that in there?" She asked.</p><p>“I better take a look...” He took the box from her. His eyes widened, when he realised what else was in there.</p><p>Seeing the look on his face Duffy attempted to peer over his shoulder but Charlie blocked her view.</p><p>“I think we’ll just put this box in the bin.” He said shutting the lid, he’d seen enough.</p><p>"No, come on, what else is in there. I didn't get further than the pair of lacy knickers." She pouted.</p><p>“Erm. It gets worse... I’m not sure you need to know...”</p><p>"Is it some kind of souvenir box from all your past conquests or something? Is there anything of mine in there?" She asked. She was more amused than jealous, having known him for so long it wasn't like she didn't know he had a past. Just like he knew she had a past too. But that's exactly what it was - in the past.</p><p>“I honestly don’t remember this box, it must have all been shoved in here from a drawer years ago. Do you really want to see?” He asked her, unsure whether it would be a good idea.</p><p>"Its not like I didn't meet 90% of the women you slept with over the years Charlie..." She pointed out. "Did you stash them away in a panic when you and Baz moved in together?"</p><p>Charlie looked sheepishly at Duffy, “I think so. This box makes it look like I slept with anyone."</p><p>She tentatively pulled back the lid. "Omg!" She gasped.</p><p>“It looks worse than it is...” He attempted.</p><p>She reached into the box and pulled out a very skimpy black bra. "I've been wondering for years where the hell that went!"</p><p>He raised his eyebrows up and down. “Is anything else in here yours?” He questioned.</p><p>"I'm not sure I want to search too deeply..." She admitted. "For hygiene reasons more than anything. Though if this is anything to go by..." She held up the bra. "I'm not sure any of it would still fit anyway."</p><p>“Let’s file this under B for bin then...” He suggested.</p><p>"Good idea." She agreed. "I'm keeping this though."</p><p>“Are you going to try it on?” His eyes widened again.</p><p>"Maybe once I've disinfected it several times." She giggled.</p><p>He laughed. Reaching for the scissors, he opened the box, secured with the tape. Inside were books and records. “Yours I think.”</p><p>Looking over she spotted a Madonna vinyl on top. "Yeh, I'd say so." She blushed.</p><p>“I didn’t know you were such a Madonna fan!” He teased, finding another two LPs.</p><p>"I was in my twenties in the eighties, of course I was a Madonna fan." She rolled her eyes. "Just because you were an old man before pop music was invented..." She teased.</p><p>“Touché! We should listen to some of these later, you can educate an old man like me... “ He joked.</p><p>She laughed as she looked to see what else was in the box. "Oh..." She blushed.</p><p>“What is it? Someone’s boxers?” He teased.</p><p>"No." She mumbled.</p><p>He leant over to take a look but she blocked him. “What is it love?”</p><p>Her face was scarlet as she held up a book. It was the Karma Sutra.</p><p>Charlie raised an eyebrow, “Ahh is that where you learnt your skills?” He teased.</p><p>"Something like that." She mumbled, embarrassed.</p><p>“Have you ticked off the ones we’ve tried?”</p><p>"Maybe..."</p><p>“Any we need to have a go at?”</p><p>She placed the book by the door. "You can take your pick later."</p><p>“I think I might be too old for acrobatics!”</p><p>"Well, at the very least we can laugh at the photos!"</p><p>“Deal!” He moved some of the now empty boxes out onto the landing. They were making real progress.</p><p>Duffy pulled open another box and gasped, her eyes welling up.</p><p>Charlie noticed her reaction and looked over at her.</p><p>Duffy carefully removed a blanket from the box. "Megan knitted this for Paul when he was a newborn."</p><p>Charlie reached for the blanket, tears springing to his eyes.</p><p>She passed it to him, her hand brushing against his as she did so.</p><p>He looked up at her. “We should keep this.”</p><p>"I don't think I could ever part with it."</p><p>“Me neither, she was such a big part of our lives.”</p><p>"I still really miss her."</p><p>He rubbed her arm. “Me too. I wonder what she would reckon to all of this!?”</p><p>"You and me?"</p><p>“Yeah...”</p><p>"You would have gotten an ear bashing for sure!" She giggled.</p><p>He laughed. “Oh yes, that’s for sure!!”</p><p>"I would have gotten away with it. She would have blamed it all on you." Duffy laughed.</p><p>“I know! So unfair! She was never liked the fact I had feelings for you.”</p><p>"I think it's because she thought that all you wanted to do was get your leg over!"</p><p>“I guess I had that reputation, but it was different with you. I wanted to be with you, not just get into your knickers.”</p><p>"Though you didn't turn down the chance to get in my knickers when the opportunity presented itself." She smirked.</p><p>“That’s not my fault, you’re irresistible! But it wasn’t just about that”</p><p>"I know." She smiled softly, stroking her fingertips along his cheek.</p><p>“You were special Duffy, from the moment I first saw you and every day since.” He kissed her hand.</p><p>"I could take that description several different ways..." She replied, laughing off the compliment.</p><p>“You know what I mean Mrs Fairhead,” He laughed, tickling her sides to make her laugh even more.</p><p>"Stop it..!" She giggled.</p><p>“Make me!” He teased, continuing to tickle her, until she was rolling on the floor laughing.</p><p>In her attempts to wriggle away she crashed into the box she'd been looking in sending various mementos of her sons' childhoods scattering across the floor.</p><p>Charlie attempted to collate the pieces that had fallen onto the floor and onto her. Luckily nothing had broken.</p><p>Duffy gave him an amused glare as she picked up a drum that had fallen on her. "I could of killed you when Peter unwrapped this on his first birthday!" She remarked.</p><p>“Sorry, I wasn’t really too sure what to get a one year old at the time.” He laughed.</p><p>"Its ok, I got my revenge with Louis' presents." She laughed.</p><p>“I don’t remember anything that bad, you were always good at getting what he wanted, I thought.”</p><p>"You've clearly blocked the memory of the Christmas when I got him a two hundred piece Lego set."</p><p>“Ah yes... now you mention it.” He laughed.</p><p>"It was the boys' idea honest!"</p><p>Charlie laughed, “Sure it was!”</p><p>"It was worth a shot." She shrugged as she helped him place the items back in the box.</p><p>“How about I put the ones we’re keeping in the loft? We’re nearly done now.”</p><p>"Good idea. I'll look through the last couple of boxes whilst you do that."</p><p>Charlie rolled his sleeves up and began lifting the boxes out of the room onto the landing. He got the ladders down and climbed through the hatch into the loft.</p><p>Of the two remaining boxes one was full of paperwork - old bank statements and stuff like that which would need to be sorted and shredded at a later date. She put that aside as the final box was much more interesting.</p><p>By the time Charlie had cleared away the boxes and returned, Duffy was engrossed in the last box. “What have you found now?” Charlie asked, smiling to himself.</p><p>"Old letters." She smiled softly.</p><p>“Ahh,” He understood what these might mean to Duffy. “Family letters?” He asked her.</p><p>"From those most special to me."</p><p>“I think you should keep them, if they are special.”</p><p>"I plan to. Some of them make for interesting reading..."</p><p>“Oh yeah. If you want to share any of them, I’m here.”</p><p>"Well, you're the author of a fair few of them." She admitted bashfully.</p><p>“You kept them?” He whispered, taken aback.</p><p>"Of course." She smiled. "I kept everything." She blushed further, her gaze resting on a stack of old birthday cards.</p><p>“I didn’t realise...” He was touched by her actions and struggled to know what to say. “Are those from me?” Motioning to the birthday cards.</p><p>"Yeh." She fanned out the cards. It was easy to spot the cards he'd sent her on big birthdays but what surprised him most was a small, rather faded card that was hidden at the back.</p><p>“I love that you kept them, hold on - what is that one?” He asked pointing to the faded card.</p><p>"You probably don't even remember sending that do you?" She smiled. "You put it through my letterbox at the flat nearly thirty years ago now and then legged it before I could answer the door! I was surprised you even knew when my birthday was."</p><p>“I’d forgotten about that! I was so scared but I wanted you to know I cared about you.”</p><p>"How did you find out when it was? I hadn't told anyone at work."</p><p>“I can’t remember now, maybe your staff record?”</p><p>"Sneaky!" She giggled.</p><p>“I know, I could have probably got the sack. Love makes you do silly things though. What did I write inside it?”</p><p>"It does. Like checking star sign compatability." She mumbled, flushing a deep scarlet colour. She handed it over. "See for yourself."</p><p>“Do our star signs match? Oh god, is it that bad?” He chuckled, reaching for the card.</p><p>"Its very much a case of opposites attract with our star signs." She smiled.</p><p>"Taurus and Scorpio, a bloody good match I’d say.” Charlie looked down at the card, reading it, his face became red. Afterwards he just closed it and passed it back to her, embarrassed.</p><p>"I thought it was a cute message. I reread it several times. Which is why it's a bit battered."</p><p>“I meant every word. I’m just sorry it took me so long to get it right!”</p><p>"It was worth the wait." She replied, echoing his words from their wedding reception. "You'll never guess what else I found in here." She grinned.</p><p>“I dread to think... I didn’t realise you had so much incriminating evidence against me! What is it now? Today has been full of surprises!”</p><p>She held up a small key.</p><p>He grinned at her excitedly. “Is that a key for your naughty diary or something else?”</p><p>"Oh it's the key to the diary alright." She grabbed hold of the diary from the floor beside her. "But to find out what's inside you'll have to catch me first!" She giggled as she leapt up and ran from the room.</p>
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